It Pays To Be Vigilant

(Our company’s payroll manager comes up to me one afternoon with a stack of paperwork.)

Manager: “Can you sign this for me?”

(I take the paperwork and see that it is a set of tables containing the salaries of every person in our locale. I’m not even meant to look at this information, much less put my signature to it.)

Me: “Sorry, why would I be doing this?”

Manager: “Because I haven’t got time to sign it.”

Me: “But, you’re right here. Why can’t you sign it?”

Manager: *getting angry* “Just sign it!”

Me: “No. I’m not allowed to even look at this.”

Manager: *huffs* “Fine.” *leaves*

(Two weeks went by and I only saw her occasionally. Payday came and no one was paid. There was a mass panic in our locale. I don’t know the full details, but the stack of paperwork was found in an unmarked pigeonhole by our estimating department, and to my knowledge the manager was asked to leave shortly after the incident. We don’t really know what was going on, but we have all agreed she probably wanted to quit, but thought getting fired would be easier. The worrying part, though, is why she wanted me to sign it. I keep wondering if she was trying to get me fired, too.)